Baby Name Meanings
155+ Names That Mean Trouble
Across 9 pages
of 9
Notorious
English word name
"infamous"
Notorious debuted on the charts for boys in 1995, at the height of The Notorious B.I.G.'s career.
Odysseus
Greek mythology name
"wrathful"
The name of the brave, resourceful hero of Homer's epic saga, Odysseus is associated with hatching the Trojan Horse plot, and with his long and challenging journey home to his kingdom. Possibly…
Osman
Arabic
"baby bustard"
Its most famous bearer was Prince Osman the First, founder of the Ottoman Empire, the third caliph of the Muslims, and a companion and son-in-law of Muhammad. Osman is sometimes written as Usman. And…
Paine
Latin
"villager, country-dweller"
While patriot Thomas Paine is a worthy honoree, the mere association with the word 'pain' knocks this name out of bounds.
Pandora
Greek
"all gifted"
Pandora has occasionally been used by the British gentry (for girls with brothers who might be called Peregrine) and is now starting to be heard in the US too: It was given to 34 baby girls last…
Peabody
English
"having the body of a gnat"
Peabody is a quintessentially Waspy surname that your child won't thank you for -- either the pea part or the body part, or the meaning part.
Penthesilea
Greek
"mournful grip"
An interesting figure from Greek mythology -- an Amazon queen who fought for Troy in the Trojan War -- but no figure could be interesting enough to make that five-syllable mouthful usable today.…
Portia
Latin
"pig"
Portia is a perfect role-model name, relating to Shakespeare's brilliant and spirited lawyer in The Merchant of Venice , and is now also a Hunger Games name . Another Shakespearean Portia was the…
Power
Word name
Power is one of the new crop -- Justice, Liberty, Peace -- of strong, clear-cut, declarative choices, though this one carries more assertiveness than virtue.
Pranav
Hindi
"primordial"
Pranav, an Indian name now in the U. S. Top 900, represents Aum, or Om, the most sacred syllable in Hinduism, symbolizing the entire universe.
Puma
English
"big cat"
Lithe and leonine name chosen for her daughter by singer Erykah Badu -- whose other child has the number name Seven.
Racer
Word name
New, fast, cool, and chosen by director Robert Rodriguez, whose other sons are Rebel, Rocket, and Rogue, all somewhat risky options. Lara Bingle and Sam Worthington are also parents to sons named…
Ransom
English
"shield's son"
Ransom may be rakish and handsome, but it carries an unavoidable association with holding someone for ransom. But that kind of bad boy image might be exactly what attracts you to Ransom in the first…
Rebel
Word name
"rebel"
Asking for trouble. Rebel Wilson is a hilarious Australian actress who puts a female spin on this contemporary badass baby name. Still, we think this name is truly gender neutral – though hardly…
Renegade
English word name
"defector; rebel"
Could Renegade be the next Maverick? The rebellious meaning and fashionable nickname Ren make it a real possibility.
Rhonda
Welsh
"noisy one"
"Help Me, Rhonda. sang the Beach Boys -- help me convince my parents not to give me this sixties name.
Riot
English word name
"violent civil disorder"
Riot has all the sounds of a trendy name — the first syllable that of trendy choices like Ryder, Ryker, and Rylan, rhyming with Wyatt. But the strong negative connotations of the word, suggesting…
Rocket
Word name
Starbaby name that might prove too supercharged for real life, but if like director Robert Rodriguez you're interested only in boys' names starting with R , you may need to add Rocket (and Rebel and…
Rogue
English word name
"independent, uncontrolled"
Now that names like Cannon and Gunner, fit for comic book heroes, are rising up, Rogue may fit right in.
Roulette
French word name
"small wheel"
Roulette debuted as an American baby name in 2023, when it was given to five baby girls, though it didn't return in 2024. >/br> While Roulette's sounds are very on-trend — the "rou" found in names…